Turtle toxicology & hazards: peer-reviewed evidence (Europe PMC)

Turtle toxicology & hazards: peer-reviewed evidence (Europe PMC)

Source: Open-Access peer-reviewed abstracts retrieved verbatim from Europe PMC (www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc) via REST search on 2026-08-01, filtered to turtle nutrition/toxicology literature. Each block below is a verbatim abstract; nothing is paraphrased.

Studies

• PMID 40007752 (2025, Frontiers in veterinary science) — Electrocardiographic changes induced by temperature variations in newly hatched Aperema (<i>Rhinoclemmys punctularia,</i> Daudin, 1801). Abstract (opening): <h4>Introduction</h4>Aperema (<i>Rhinoclemmys punctularia</i>) is a South American semi-aquatic freshwater turtle characterized by a highly curved, dark brown to black carapace and is distributed across Central and South America. Climate change affects freshwater turtles in a number of ways, including temperature, hatchling sex, and survival.<h4>Methods</h4>Therefore, we analyzed temperature variations in these turtles through electrocardiographic recordings, since studies on temperature variations in <i>R. punctularia</i> are limited.<h4>Results and discussion</h4>Electrocardiography (ECG) is a highly relevant diagnostic tool as it allows for precise assessments of cardiac events and is non-invasive. The development of non-invasive ECG measurement methods is crucial for evaluating and maintaining the health of chelonian individuals during veterinary treatment or experimental procedure. Our findings revealed that heart rate is temperature-dependent, showing that lower environmental temperatures result in decreased heart rates. Therefore, we demonstrated through the electrocardiographic patterns observed during the experiment that a reduction in the ambient temperature to which <i>Rhinoclemmys punctularia</i> are exposed can modulate the conductivity and automaticity of cardiac cells, subsequently leading to a decrease in heart rate.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40007752/

• PMID 37569029 (2023, International journal of environmental research and public health) — Total Mercury Content in the Tissues of Freshwater Chelonium (<i>Podocnemis expansa</i>) and a Human Health Risk Assessment for the Amazon Population in Brazil. Abstract (opening): Researchers recognize the silent, negative and deleterious effects caused by mercury pollution in gold mining areas. Freshwater turtles are culturally part of the diet of riverside populations in the Amazon region and this area presents mercury (Hg) pollution issues mainly due to gold mining activities. Thus, this research aimed to evaluate the total mercury (THg) content in the different organs of Amazonian giant river turtle (<i>Podocnemis expansa</i>) and carry out a human health risk assessment associated with the consumption of these animals. This study was conducted in the Vila Balbina, municipality of Presidente Figueiredo, state of Amazonas, Brazil. Skin (<i>n</i> = 28), muscle (<i>n</i> = 19) and brain (<i>n</i> = 2) samples were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (TDA-AAS) and a DMA-80™ mercury analyzer was used for the total mercury determinations. The average values found for THg in the skin, muscle and brain samples were, respectively, 0.1045 mg·kg^-1, 0.1092 mg·kg^-1 and 0.0601 mg·kg^-1. Thus, THg was observed even though the <i>P. expansa</i> were kept in captivity, possibly due to previous contamination by air, water and food. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) was calculated considering a 9.07 g·day^-1 intake dose of <i>P. expansa</i> and the consumption of turtles once a week showed an HQ = 2.45, which may cause long-term injuries to human health. Although the muscle concentrations were below the maximum limit established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Brazilian regulatory agencies, it is important to evaluate consumption factors such as amount ingested, frequency and animal gender, which may cause a potential risk to regular consumers due to mercury bioaccumulation. The WHO may consider various aspects in order to warn the Amazon population about the severity and silent hazard of this metal, especially due to the importance of this matrix in the region. This region urgently needs government actions to inhibit clandestine mining and to prevent future serious, chronic health problems of the entire population.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37569029/

• PMID 41025135 (2025, Food safety (Tokyo, Japan)) — Importance of Global Genomic Data Sharing to Prevent Illnesses Linked to Commercially Distributed Foods. Abstract (opening): Changes in food production and distribution, including global distribution of foods, have affected the types of foodborne disease outbreaks that occur. As a result, outbreaks are frequently identified that cause illnesses affecting people across wide geographic regions. Pathogen subtyping is the most effective way to detect these outbreaks, by grouping together cases of foodborne illness that likely share a common source. Over the last decade, the use of whole genome sequencing-based subtyping methods for foodborne bacteria has rapidly expanded. These methods not only provide a much higher resolution view of the bacterial genome, but also open the door to improved sharing of genomic data internationally. We describe four recent outbreak investigations linked to globally distributed foods and other products in which international genomic data sharing played a key role in the investigation: a listeriosis outbreak linked to enoki mushrooms and three different salmonellosis outbreaks linked to onions, sesame paste, and small turtles. Although there are technical and cost barriers to expanding the use of whole genome sequencing and other high-resolution subtyping methods, advancements and accessibility in using these technologies are creating novel opportunities for widespread global implementation so that international collaborations can detect, investigate, and stop outbreaks and reduce the impact of foodborne illnesses globally.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41025135/

License & attribution

Mixed licensing per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3: Open Access (CC BY / CC BY-NC / CC BY-NC-ND) studies are reproduced verbatim with attribution under their specific CC license. Original records:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40007752/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37569029/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41025135/